A Letter from Lori Danielson, Board President

Happy New Year! I hope that each of you have a birdy and bright 2019!

I’m excited to step into the role of board president for Eastside Audubon this month. I want to thank Jan McGruder for her service as chapter president these last four years. She set a high bar, and has been very dedicated, hard-working, and passionate in leading the chapter. I’m happy she’s staying on the board to spearhead volunteer coordination for the next year.

To share a little more about myself, I’m a Washington native, growing up in Poulsbo, and I retired in 2017 from a federal career. My current home is Issaquah, where I live with my cat, Abby. I became a member of Eastside Audubon about six years ago and joined the board in 2014, serving as an at-large member and then as secretary. I’ve also held a variety of other volunteer roles such as Corvid Crier editor, bird survey team participant, and a co-leader of our monthly first-time birder walks in local eastside parks.

Birds have interested me since childhood, when I would notice flocks of diving ducks near my home. As an adult, I became curious about the bird songs I heard every day and decided to learn about my backyard birds. My interest grew when I volunteered for an Issaquah wetland monitoring team and Eastside Audubon’s Len Steiner helped us identify the birds we saw in the wetland. What first brought me to join Eastside Audubon was my desire to get outdoors and watch birds with like-minded people. I’ve been so happy to find that here, and have increased my birding skills and circle of friends, thanks to many of you.

What’s Next

2018 presented unique challenges for birds and their habitats. With growing threats to federal laws protecting birds, easement of coal rules and drilling controls by the current administration, and the escalating climate change crisis, we will need an abundance of creativity, passion, and diverse experiences to address the complex issues impacting our local and migratory bird populations.

We are set to have our board retreat a little later this month where we will discuss our goals for this year in greater detail. In a future Corvid Crier, I’ll talk about the outcome of the retreat and what changes you might see in the coming months. As a supporter of our work, it is important for me to hear what matters most to you. I hope you will take time to share your thoughts on the chapter and offer input on the work we do together as well.

Thank you again for continuing to partner with Eastside Audubon. Our education, advocacy, and conservation work would not be possible without your support. I look forward to all the great things we achieve together on behalf of birds this year.